The Imperial Palace Jade Liquid Shop in the Capital, second floor.
The two little princesses leaned against the window, and under the protection of the palace servants, they watched the parade of floats on the street, clapping and laughing with joy.
Concubine Zhang Yu stood by the window, watching over her daughter and peeking out from time to time. The lively and festive scene made her very happy.
Being taken out of the palace by the emperor is itself a kind of favor and closeness.
Although the Queen was well-behaved and would definitely not leave the palace privately, other concubines were not able to go out because they had just given birth or were pregnant.
But Zhang Yuer could feel that the emperor had always been very kind to her. From being a "poop scooper" to now being Consort Yu, with two lovely little princesses.
The emperor sipped his tea, not particularly interested in the parade of floats outside. He had seen many forms of entertainment before.
He smiled and made a gesture. Li Chengcheng, who was accompanying him, understood what he meant. He tiptoed to another window, opened a crack, and secretly looked out.
Although he had no official title, everyone in the palace knew that this was only a matter of time. The emperor was not a rabbit that only ate grass near its nest.
First there was Zhang Yu'er, the poop scooper, then there was Fan Xiaohui, and now one is Zhang Yufei and the other is Fan Huifei. Only Li Chengcheng is still accompanying the emperor. The reason why he has not been canonized is simple: his belly is not doing well.
But on the other hand, this is also Li Chengcheng's advantage. He has been with the emperor for the longest time, far less than the empress and concubines.
Wang Tigan came over and whispered in the emperor's ear, "Your Majesty, Xiong Tingbi is here."
The emperor nodded, stood up and walked out to the next room.
Xiong Tingbi came when he heard the summons, dressed in ordinary clothes. When he saw the emperor, he knelt down and saluted.
"No thanks, no thanks." The emperor extended his hand to support the chair, sat down in the chair, and said with a smile: "Xiong Qing, sit down and talk."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After Xiong Tingbi finished his greeting, he also sat down in the chair.
To create a more celebratory atmosphere, the emperor specially granted two days off. As for statutory holidays, the emperor's words were the most effective.
"Xiong Qing is diligent, even handling official business at the government office during his vacation." The emperor first casually praised him, and after Xiong Tingbi humbled himself, he continued, "Xiong Qing has fully understood the country's strategy for foreign conquest and expansion, and his arrangements have satisfied me."
"But there are some details I'd like to discuss with Lord Xiong, and I'd also like to hear your opinion as a veteran soldier."
Xiong Tingbi bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I respectfully listen to your instructions."
The emperor smiled and said, "The principle is basically clear. It's simple: don't do business that loses money. But this consideration involves both immediate and long-term considerations. We must consider it comprehensively and cannot generalize."
Xiong Tingbi listened attentively. This kind of solo dialogue was the clearest and most understandable. The emperor could ignore it, and he could speak freely.
If the ministers were to speak at the same time in the court, it would not only cause chaos but also make it difficult for the emperor to express his true intentions.
For example, the invasion of Burma was nominally to recover lost territory and wash away previous humiliation, but in reality it was just invasion and plunder.
As the disaster expanded, the emperor turned into a bandit, robbing wherever there was food and money.
Originally, the goal was to reach the Ava River and force the Burmese king to sign a treaty. Now, it would be better to capture the Ava region, the great granary.
As the Celestial Empire, one always has to find a reason to go to war; the emperor also has to save face and cannot be regarded as a robber.
The emperor spoke slowly, explaining not only the expansion plans for the past few years, but also for the next ten or even several decades.
The Spanish in Luzon, who massacred the local Chinese, deserved to be beaten and killed; the Dutch in Batavia must also be expelled from Asia; and the Strait of Malacca, a vital transportation route, must be firmly controlled by the Ming Dynasty...
There is no shortage of goals; the key lies in timing and sequencing. How can we sustain expansion smoothly by fighting to support our wars, without consuming too many resources, and even by making huge profits?
This is still an overseas competition, while the domestic competition is mainly in the north.
Recovering the former territory is only the beginning. Major disasters will force the nomadic peoples to move south in search of survival. If you can't stop them, they will not trade with you, but rob you.
The emperor's goal was not to resist, but to kill the enemy while they were sick, to completely solve the problem in the north, or to create a hundred years of stability. The Ming army's proactive attack was inevitable.
By this calculation, the Ming Empire was indeed at war on all sides and had to deal with major disasters. How to survive these crises smoothly without hindering expansion required careful planning and deliberation.
"The international situation must be taken into consideration." The emperor ordered tea to be brought to Xiong Tingbi. He drank slowly, organizing his thoughts. "Seize the opportunity, make the most of it with the least effort, and achieve the greatest benefit at the lowest cost."
Although Xiong Tingbi knew that the emperor was ambitious, it was the first time he heard the overall plan and he was shocked.
For example, conquering Burma was only the first step. Occupying key areas and consolidating them would open the way to South Asia, where there was a vast land, numerous states, and a weak India.
The emperor emphasized England several times, despite its name being relatively unknown and seemingly weak. Clearly, in his judgment, England would be a formidable rival to the Ming.
The emperor's ultimate goal was to drive out the Western forces from Asia, not only the Spanish, Dutch, and English, but also the French.
The emperor tentatively set a deadline of twenty years. Of course, the sooner the better. As long as the country is stable and the finances are relaxed, no major disaster can stop the emperor from realizing his plan.
"Your Majesty, your knowledge is vast, and I am ashamed to be inferior to you." Xiong Tingbi bowed and said, "I will carefully review the information of the relevant countries when I return."
The emperor nodded, but did not blame him.
It is not surprising that although he had a globe and a world map, Xiong Tingbi did not know much about the political, military, economic and other conditions of various countries, especially the Western Yi.
Although Lao Xiong was a Jinshi in both civil and military studies, he had never studied international geography and history, and he did not have the knowledge reserves of the emperor who had lived for hundreds of years.
"I will allocate funds to further expand the Military Intelligence Department," the emperor said thoughtfully. "I am not entirely satisfied with the speed of overseas intelligence collection and transmission."
"As for the north—" the emperor sneered, "The Mongolian tribes are no longer formidable. Although Ligdan Khan has ambition, he lacks the ability. He wants to unify the Mongolian tribes, but the end result will be desertion from his friends and relatives. There's no need for our army to mobilize en masse. We can simply seize the opportunity to strike a fatal blow, and Ligdan Khan will be defeated."
"Your Majesty, what you said is absolutely right." Xiong Tingbi agreed deeply and also had great contempt for Ligdan Khan. "People with great ambitions but little talent are not worth worrying about."
At this moment, the little princess came to the emperor, skipping and calling "Daddy, Daddy". Her voice was tender, innocent and lovely.
Xiong Tingbi hurriedly stood up to salute, but the emperor stopped him and said with a smile: "Xiong Qing, there is no need to be so polite. You are my right-hand man. Such courtesy is unacceptable to a child."
The emperor stood up, picked up his daughter, kissed her on the cheek, and said to Xiong Tingbi, "Let's stop here today. If you have any questions, please come to the palace and submit a memorial."
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